ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University will welcome No. 1 New York Times-bestselling author, award-winning educator, founder and philanthropist Sharon McMahon as the keynote speaker for the Larry and Julie Poeppel Family Common Read Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, in the Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater in the Johnson Fine Arts Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Sharon McMahon is a longtime government and law teacher who provides daily insights on current events, political misinformation, the history and function of the U.S. government, and ways to…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Morgan Haselhorst, a member of the Northern State University Honors Program, has been accepted into the Honors Law Opportunity Program (HLOP) at the University of South Dakota (USD) Knudson School of Law.
Through the HLOP, Haselhorst is guaranteed admission to the USD Knudson School of Law, regardless of LSAT score, and will receive a $2,500 scholarship for her first year of law school if she earns an LSAT score of 150 or higher and graduates in Honoribus from NSU.
“Being accepted into the HLOP is an incredible honor and a significant milestone in my journey toward a…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University Honors student Madison Park recently earned second place in the pedagogy and education category of the student poster competition at the National Collegiate Honors Council annual conference.
Park’s research project, “How Generations of Teacher Education Impact Special Education Inclusion,” explores how generational differences in teacher education, along with social, technological and policy changes, affect inclusive practices in special education.
“It was very exciting to present my research! It was a great experience to talk to other…
Jakob Lund is the first University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law graduate to have participated in the Northern State University Honors Law Opportunity Program.
Lund left Kansas City, Missouri, his hometown, to attend Northern State University. The university, located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, partners with the law school through the program to provide five guaranteed admission spots to selected honors students upon completion of their undergraduate degree. The program is open to any NSU honors student regardless of their current field of study.
Throughout his academic studies…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University students recently attended the Upper Midwest Honors Conference, where several students presented research, and one earned recognition in a regional competition.
In the Three Minute Thesis Competition, Abiah George earned second place for their presentation, “The Denial of 'Homegrown Terrorism': Bias, Rhetoric, and the Framing of Domestic Extremism.”
Three students presented their Honors Thesis research during the poster sessions:
Stella Meier – “Rhetorical Shields: The Shaping of Qualified Immunity by the United States Supreme Court…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University will welcome internationally renowned author and advocate Loung Ung as the keynote speaker for the annual Larry and Julie Poeppel Family Common Read Lecture. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in the Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater at the Johnson Fine Arts Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.“We are deeply honored to host Loung Ung for this year’s Common Read,” said Dr. Hannah Walters, director of the NSU Honors Program. “Her extraordinary journey of resilience and advocacy will inspire…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University students and best friends Abiah George and Kayla Waltman have been accepted into the Honors Law Opportunity Program (HLOP). Both students were approved by the NSU review committee and the USD Knudson School of Law Committee.
The program, a partnership between Northern State University and the University of South
Dakota, helps increase the number of talented and committed lawyers in northeast South Dakota. Each year, up to five students in the Northern Honors Program are guaranteed admission into the USD Knudson School of Law through…
ABERDEEN, SD – Northern State University’s Nkemdilim Chibuko recently achieved a milestone, winning first place in the arts and humanities category at the National Collegiate Honors Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Chibuko’s research project, titled “Dehumanizing Discourse: Rwanda’s Genocide-Inciting Propaganda,” earned top recognition, highlighting her powerful work and the strength of Northern’s Honors Program.
Chibuko’s journey to this accomplishment wasn’t easy. Originally from Nigeria, she arrived at Northern feeling the weight of adjusting to a new country, culture, and…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Internationally acclaimed Ruta Sepetys will return to campus for Northern State University’s annual Larry and Julie Poeppel Family Common Read Lecture on Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. In 2017, Sepetys delivered the lecture on her novel “Salt to the Sea.”The lecture will be held in Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater in the Johnson Fine Arts Center. It is open to the public and free to attend.“We are very excited to welcome Ruta Sepetys back to Northern for our 15th annual Common Read! Ruta was here in 2017 and we’re fortunate that she’s returning to speak again,” said Dan Shannahan,…
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University student Kara Sinar has been accepted to law school through the Honors Law Opportunity Program (HLOP). Sinar will graduate in May 2024 with a major in English and a double minor in theatre and philosophy. Originally from Casper, Wyoming, Sinar has been an Aberdeen resident for over a decade.The program is a collaboration between Northern and the University of South Dakota, with the intent to help grow the number of committed, talented lawyers in northeast South Dakota. HLOP guarantees admission for up to five Northern Honors Program students into…